Contents
Case Study

Zeus moved contact angle QC from a manual goniometer to the production floor, and its own Gage R&R passed.

Last Updated
October 12, 2026
Industry
Polymer extrusion and custom tubing
Location
South Carolina, USA
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Validated against KRÜSS DSA100E 2 peer reviewed validation papers Zeus ran its own Gage R&R, and it passed

Zeus makes polymer extrusions and custom tubing for medical, aerospace and industrial customers. Inspectors read contact angle on a manual benchtop goniometer by eye, and readings spread by 5 to 10° between operators. Zeus started with one Dropometer in October 2024, ran its own Gage R&R study, and reported that it passed. It then added four more units at the same plant.

Dropometer with its smartphone set up inside an enclosure on a production floor
Abhimanyu Photo
Written by
Abhimanyu Bhandankar
Holds an MBA from Schulich School of Business and a BE in IT. He joined Droplet Lab in July 2019 and now leads sales and marketing.
CEO at Droplet Lab
Read More
Gurdeep-Saini-Photo
Technical Review by
Gurdeep Singh Saini
Holds a BASc in Mechanical Engineering from Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) and an MASc from York University. He develops the automatic edge and baseline detection behind the Dropometer's analysis.
COO at Droplet Lab
Read More
Abhimanyu Photo
Written By

Abhimanyu Bhandankar

CEO at Droplet Lab

Holds an MBA from Schulich School of Business and a BE in IT. He joined Droplet Lab in July 2019 and now leads sales and marketing.

Gurdeep-Saini-Photo
Reviewed By

Gurdeep Singh Saini

COO at Droplet Lab

Holds a BASc in Mechanical Engineering from Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) and an MASc from York University. He develops the automatic edge and baseline detection behind the Dropometer's analysis.

Primary outcome: one reading, whoever runs the test

Operator spread on contact angle

Zeus's own Gage R&R, January 2025

Before ±5 to 10°
After Gage R&R passed

Before, inspectors read contact angle on a manual benchtop goniometer by eye, and Zeus saw readings spread by 5 to 10° between operators. Zeus installed its first Dropometer in October 2024. Automatic edge and baseline detection gives the same reading from the same image. On 2 January 2025, Zeus told us its own Gage R&R study on that unit had passed. The method has a published accuracy of 0.35° against a KRÜSS DSA100E.

5 units

Dropometers at Zeus's primary plant by February 2025, up from one in October 2024.

0.35°

Published accuracy of the method against a KRÜSS DSA100E, in peer review.

US$4,990 list

List price per unit, so adding an inspection station is a small purchase.

5.5 months

From first contact in July 2024 to a passed Gage R&R in January 2025.

Executive Summary

Who

Zeus is a US based manufacturer of high performance polymer extrusions and custom tubing. It serves medical, aerospace, automotive and industrial customers. Its in process QC team checks surface readiness on tubing at its plants, where inspectors work continuous shifts.

Problem

Inspectors measured contact angle on a manual benchtop optical goniometer, lining up a crosshair and reading the angle by eye. Zeus saw readings vary by 5 to 10° between operators. At that spread, surface energy calls on tubing were hard to trust and hard to explain to partners.

Solution

Zeus bought one Dropometer contact angle kit in October 2024, with a custom tube holder for its tubing geometry. Automatic edge and baseline detection replaced the manual crosshair, so the same image gives the same reading. The method is validated against a KRÜSS DSA100E in two peer reviewed papers.

Time to Value

July 2024: first contact. Early September 2024: demo and a quote for one unit. 3 October 2024: first purchase order confirmed. November 2024: tube holder parts and the automatic analysis module in use. 2 January 2025: Zeus reports its Gage R&R passed. February 2025: four more units delivered.

Results

Zeus ran its own Gage R&R study on the first unit, and it passed. Within three months of that unit shipping, Zeus ordered four more for the same plant, then added a sixth unit in June 2026. Factory floor inspectors, not lab specialists, now run contact angle as part of in process QC.

Highlights

5 units

Dropometers at the primary plant

Passed

Zeus's own Gage R&R, January 2025

0.35°

Published accuracy vs KRÜSS DSA100E

Quote teaser

"We completed our gage R&R study on the unit we have and it performed very well."

Zeus, at a glance

Industry

Polymer extrusion and custom tubing manufacturing

Applications

Medical, aerospace, automotive and industrial sectors

QC Stage

In-process inspection

Users

Factory floor inspectors on continuous shifts across plants, without specialist training in optics or surface science.

Materials / Surfaces Tested

Polymer tubing extrusions

Key Constraints

Minimal workflow disruption; continuous shift operation; high repeatability; scalable across plants

A manual goniometer that depended on the operator

Why a reading by eye was not good enough for in process QC.

How Zeus worked before

Zeus checks surface energy on tubing through contact angle measurement. Inspectors used a manual benchtop optical goniometer and the half angle technique. They aligned a crosshair to the drop profile and read the angle off an optical protractor by eye. There was no automated drop shape analysis and no stored image behind each reading. The result depended on the person at the eyepiece.

Pain points

  • Manual alignment added human error, so no two operators produced the same reading.
  • Zeus saw readings spread by 5 to 10° between operators.
  • At that spread, adhesion and bonding on tubing became hard to predict.
  • QC records shared with partners carried the same uncertainty.
The same problem shows up wherever low energy plastics must bond, as in bonding polypropylene reliably.

What was at stake

A 5 to 10° error in contact angle changes the surface energy call, not just the last digit. Poor readings can lead to adhesion failures, rejected tubing and QC escapes that reach Zeus's medical and aerospace customers. Every report sent to a partner carried that uncertainty. For why this matters across coatings and adhesives, see why contact angle matters for coatings and adhesives QC. Our plastics guide covers polymer surfaces more widely.

What success would require

  • Sub degree accuracy on the production floor, not only in a lab.
  • A test factory floor staff can run, not only trained technicians.
  • Consistent drop placement and volume, so readings compare across shifts (see droplet dosing and volume control).
  • A fit with existing data workflows, including Oracle ERP.
  • Proof from Zeus's own operators, through a study such as a Gage R&R.
  • Room to scale across plants without new engineering at each site.

Still checking surface readiness with dyne pens?

Zeus used a manual goniometer; many teams use dyne inks. Both give a judgment call that shifts with the operator. A contact angle measurement gives a number in degrees from a defined method. Our treated vs untreated surfaces experiment shows the difference on a simple sample.
Dyne pens vs contact angle, 1 page

Automatic drop fitting, where the tubing is made

What Was Deployed

Zeus's first order, confirmed on 3 October 2024, was one Dropometer contact angle kit for contact angle only. The quote covered software licences, Hamilton syringes, a phone and shipping to the USA. The kit uses drop shape analysis with automatic edge and baseline detection, a method validated against a KRÜSS DSA100E in peer review. This is the same sessile drop measurement that adhesive wetting standards such as DIN EN 828:2013 are built on. Droplet Lab's hardware team designed a custom tube holder for Zeus's tubing geometry; the 3D printed parts were in use by November 2024. Four more units followed in February 2025. Our own reference measurements are being released as an open contact angle dataset. Weighing instruments for a production line? See our buying guide for industrial QA.
The Origin

How the partnership started

Zeus first contacted Droplet Lab in July 2024 after finding us through the website, and asked for a demonstration. The team shipped tubing samples. We measured them and returned the values, so Zeus could compare them with its manual readings. After the demo in early September 2024, we quoted one instrument for contact angle only. Zeus's engineers also asked how to run the system from a PC and an external display, a request that is still on the roadmap.

Zeus started small on purpose. The first unit went to its primary plant to help the wider group decide which path to take. The purchase order was confirmed on 3 October 2024. Once Zeus's own Gage R&R on that unit passed, it ordered four more units for the same plant, delivered in February 2025.

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Decision Rationale

Why this approach

Zeus weighed three paths before committing.

Option 1
Not quoted

Buy a new automated benchtop goniometer

Automated fitting, but a longer rollout, dedicated lab space and trained technicians.

More spend and infrastructure, still lab bound
Option 2
Already owned

Keep the manual benchtop

No new spend, but the 5 to 10° spread between operators stays.

Same readings, same uncertainty
Chosen
US$4,990 list

Start with one Dropometer, then scale

Portable kit with automatic edge and baseline detection, run by existing floor staff. Test one unit, then add more.

Validated method at a production floor price

Zeus already owned a benchtop goniometer, so the real question was whether another bench would fix an operator problem. Zeus chose to start with one Dropometer, test it in its own Gage R&R, and scale only after the result. The trade off was real. The kit runs on a smartphone, which brought its own setup work: splitters for power and a mouse, lighting changes, and a request for a desktop interface that is still planned. Zeus accepted that work in exchange for a validated method its inspectors could run on every shift.

Next Step

Want to see the same comparison on your own samples?

Ship us a set of parts and we will return contact angle values you can put next to your current method, whether dyne pens or a manual goniometer. That is how the Zeus partnership started: we supplied the numbers, Zeus ran the comparison and made the call.

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What changed, measured side by side

Metric Before After
Reading the angle Inspector aligns a crosshair to the drop and reads an optical protractor by eye Automatic edge and baseline detection fits the drop in the captured image
Operator spread Zeus saw 5 to 10° between operators Zeus's own Gage R&R passed in January 2025
Record behind each reading No stored image Reading saved with its drop image in the project
Who runs it Experienced staff estimating by eye Factory floor inspectors after workflow training
Sample handling Tubing positioned by hand Custom tube holder made for Zeus's tubing geometry
Scaling One shared benchtop instrument Five units at one plant, US$4,990 list each

Rollout timeline

Timeline (high level)

Jul to Sep 2024: Discovery and demo

  • First contact in July 2024
  • Tubing samples measured and values returned for comparison with manual readings
  • Demo in early September 2024; quote for one contact angle unit sent on 6 September

Oct 2024: First unit ordered

  • Purchase order confirmed on 3 October 2024
  • One unit for the primary plant, scheduled to ship by 24 October 2024

Nov 2024: Tube holder and automatic analysis

  • Custom 3D printed tube holder parts delivered and in use
  • Zeus tested the automatic analysis module on its own tubing images and flagged where baseline detection needed tuning

Jan to Feb 2025: Gage R&R and scale up

  • 2 January 2025: Zeus reports its Gage R&R on the first unit passed
  • Four more units ordered for the same plant and delivered in February 2025

Jul 2025 to Jun 2026: Plant visit and refinements

  • July 2025: plant visit to see how inspectors use the units
  • June 2026: a further unit and retrofit parts delivered, with a new case fill design

Zeus's own test, on its own parts

Test method

Sessile drop contact angle on extruded tubing, analysed by drop shape analysis with automatic edge and baseline detection.

Sample size and operators

Zeus reports 100+ samples across 3 operators in its Gage R&R study.

Repeatability / reproducibility

Zeus ran its own Gage R&R study on the first unit and reported on 2 January 2025 that it performed very well. We do not publish Zeus's study figures.

Notes / assumptions

The 5 to 10° before figure is Zeus's estimate of operator spread on its manual goniometer. The 0.35° accuracy figure comes from our peer reviewed validation against a KRÜSS DSA100E, not from Zeus's study.

Outcomes to date

Measured Outcomes

Passed

Zeus's own Gage R&R

Zeus ran its own Gage R&R on the first Dropometer and reported on 2 January 2025 that it performed very well. Zeus reports the study covered 3 operators and 100+ samples.

5 units

Scaled at one plant

Within three months of the first unit shipping, Zeus ordered four more for the same plant. They were delivered in February 2025.

6 units

Repeat purchase in 2026

Zeus added a sixth unit with retrofit parts in June 2026, more than eighteen months after its first order.

Operational Outcomes

Floor staff run the test

Factory floor inspectors, not lab technicians, now produce contact angle readings as part of in process QC.

Clearer partner records

Zeus can share readings backed by a stored drop image and a validated method, instead of an operator's estimate.

Feedback shapes the product

Production use at Zeus drives baseline detection tuning, hardware refinements and the ERP integration roadmap.

ROI Calculator

ROI Estimate

Estimate scrap, QC time and corrective action savings with your own numbers.

Enter your margin per unit.
Enter the reduction you expect; start conservative.
Time your current test and a Dropometer test on the same sample.
Use your own cost per corrective action.
List price US$4,990 per unit. Enter units times price.

Result

~0
Scrap savings
~0
Labour savings
~0
Corrective action savings
~0
Total annual benefit + payback

Total annual benefit = scrap savings + labour savings + corrective action savings.

Financial Context

What we can and cannot share

Zeus's savings are confidential. Below is what is public: the list price, the scale of the rollout and where savings usually come from. Use your own numbers to estimate the rest.

Instrument cost · US$4,990 list

List price per unit for the Dropometer contact angle kit. Zeus scaled from one unit to five at one plant.

Operator spread · Gage R&R passed

Less operator spread is the lever behind fewer retests and rejects. Zeus has not disclosed its own figures.

Scrap and rework · Not disclosed

Savings from fewer retests, rejects and corrective actions depend on your volumes. Model them with the calculator, or ask us for a confidential estimate.

Figures above are the list price and facts Zeus has confirmed in writing. Zeus's savings are not disclosed, and we do not estimate them.

Template · MSA worksheet

Gage R&R study template

A planning and data collection worksheet for running a contact angle Gage R&R study with your own operators and parts.

What Zeus said

"Overall, we've been very impressed. It's been working really well and we really have enjoyed using it. It's a bit different than what we're currently using. It's much more technologically advanced than how we currently do it, which is good. Also, I wanted to let you know we completed our gage R&R study on the unit we have and it performed very well. We’ve been happy with the machine learning add in too, it saves a lot of time on measurements." Earlier, at the September 2024 demo, before the first order: "Start with one, see how much we love it, and then we can go from there. We are expanding, so we're building a new facility that's going to need something. And I think this is a better technology than what we've got."
Brandon Barbee - Corporate Quality Engineer, Development

An active development partnership

Delivered

Five Dropometers at the primary plant, plus a sixth unit in June 2026
Custom tube holder designed and delivered
Zeus's own Gage R&R completed and passed
Retrofit parts and a new case fill design, June 2026

In Pilot

Retraining automatic baseline detection on Zeus's own image sets
Lighting redesign with a brighter LED module, mount raised 2 cm to cut reflection
Splitters for charging and mouse use at the same time

Planned

Desktop interface to remove the phone dependency
Oracle ERP API integration to remove manual data entry
Collapsible enclosures Zeus can build from open source designs
Longer term move toward RAW image capture

Trusted By

Droplet Lab instruments are used by QC and research teams at universities, government labs and manufacturers, and are cited in peer reviewed literature. Browse citations.
Harvard University
Eli Lilly
Zeus
DuPont
Essilor Luxottica
Raytheon
Cornell University
P&G
Axiom Space
Lululemon
Holcim
CNRS France
FLIR
Avery Dennison
US DOE
BRP
Heraeus
Singapore Institute of Technology
East China University
Indian Institute of Science
NRC Canada

Next Step

Want to see the same comparison on your own samples?

Ship us a set of parts and we will return contact angle values you can put next to your current method, whether dyne pens or a manual goniometer. That is how the Zeus partnership started: we supplied the numbers, Zeus ran the comparison and made the call.

Request a quote